Courage Ablazed
by Uhai
Summary: "Ravio's Bracelet ran out of magic when Link was crossing from Lorule to Hyrule on Death Mountain. The malicious distortion caused the Triforce of Courage to activate, bringing Link into a conscious side of the world safely... Or did it? This isn't Hyrule or Lorule at all..." Eventual FeMUxLink. Warning: spoilers for ALBW.
1. Lorule Oh, Ferox?

In this fic, Link wears his green tunic but has the other two stashed away. He's also going to be about Ricken's age (which I assume is 14). He'll have all his items except the Net and Hint Glasses although not upgraded. The Master Sword is upped to Lv3 (gold ver). As such, he will be slightly overpowered but not invincible.

I will make major adjustments to prevent him from being boring and too OP; he is a kid after all. F!Robin will be based upon build 2, face 2, hair 3, hair color 17 and voice 1, and aged 16. This story will be mostly told from Link's perspective and the stamina is replaced by magic (the meter, like from ALttP). This is during the beginning of the Walhart campaign. All right, please enjoy.

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 **Courage Ablaze**

Ch.1 "Lorule... Oh, Ferox?!"

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To say he was surprised by the strange twist of the world crossing would be the understatement of the year. Fourteen-year-old Link of Hyrule, the chosen wielder of the Master Sword, had merged with the stone wall's dimensional crack that would take him to Death Mountain in Hyrule. That had been his intention. However, the bracelet he was given by Ravio suddenly decided to make his life even more terrible than it already was. He'd just saved Rosso, the ore miner from his imprisonment in the Ice Ruins, and now he was well on his way back to rest in the nearest Fairy Spring. Again, that had been his intention. The distortion caved in on the painting-form Link, his mouth wide open as if to scream. It was agony and yet it was not. He felt like a mysterious power was sucking him dry from his magic and turning him inside out. Gods, now he knew how his shirts felt like when he rung them dry!

Link cried out and it appeared to be the trigger for a blinding light burned to life from the back of his left, dominant hand. The youth peeled one eye halfway open to see the brightness that was his recently obtained Triforce of Courage, alight and ready. The green-clad Hylian gasped when it engulfed him in a circular sort of barrier, bringing him out of the painting form and into the flesh. He stared transfixed at the golden triangle of unending magic that ceased all his pains and worries just by sight itself. The distortion all around Link began to fizzle out and slowly replacing itself with a sky full of clouds. Wait, clouds? The sky? Where exactly was this place? Was it still somewhere within Lorule or Hyrule?

The spherical shield was descending down to the apparently white blanket of a ground below, Link noticed, and he seemed to be a beacon of light in the dark canvas as his background. From a distance, he saw what looked like a village; some houses had light in them, most likely from fireplaces or candles. The sudden thought of being near something so warm made him shiver; he'd crossed a death mountain - literally - full of snow, snow, oh yeah? More snow. It was cold and freezing, but thankfully his tunic wasn't bad at keeping him comfortable. Good ole Hyrulean quality cotton! Still, even with his Power Mitts on, his fingers felt frozen solid, the tips of his ears chillier than normal and it made traversing the Ice Ruins that much harder. It didn't help when those Wizzrobes fired ice magic at him to temporarily freeze him on the spot.

As his descent ended, the Triforce of Courage stopped glowing, dulling to a faint yellow triangle on his hand. His boots crunched under something cold, wet and chunky. Link grimaced and silently prayed to the gods it wasn't snow. He looked down and his fears were confirmed. Gods dang it! He'd just came out of a snowy area and into another one?! The Master Sword wielder frowned but put that thought aside when a random, harsh wind blew over, making him instantly wrap his arms around himself. Okay, the Hyrulean quality cotton wasn't doing its job against this fierce wind! Was it a snowstorm coming through? "S-s-so c-c-cold," Link shivered and teeth were already chattering together. Once again, his ears and fingers were nearly on ice. Dang it, where was that village he'd seen when in the air?

The teenager trenched through the three feet deep snow, trying his hardest to keep warm and failing horribly. "I wish I had s-s-s-some fire... oh!" He blinked and slapped himself mentally. He had a freaking Fire Rod and Lamp! Quickly as he could, he retreived the items from his magic pouch that had been Gulley's - his best friend who was Sage - and set to lighting the lamp using the Fire Rod. Yes, now he could see! It was so dark out. The rod's natural heat warmed the hand he used to carry it. He'd have to replenish his magic as soon as he spotted the village. He hoped the people within were friendly.

-o-

Link felt like he was about to be the next icicle as he trudged through the snow and storm. It felt like he had been walking for hours on end; he was certain he was! However, lo and behold, he saw the light from a few homes up ahead and rejoiced to the Hyrulean gods for directing his path. Yes! Finally, he could rest and return to solving this new oddity about this supposed other side of Lorule or Hyrule after that. Well, that is if they were kind folk. There were some mean people in both worlds he discovered and he'd be no stranger to unkindness. Although, he strongly preferred if they were nice. Teeth still chattering and light icicles hanging off his hair, cap and ears, Link clutched the rod and lamp close to him in a vain attempt at staying warm as he approached the village's closed gates. His blue eyes squinted to read the sign that wasn't so far away and...boy he was in shock.

There wasn't any Hylian text inscribed on the sign at all! He couldn't make out the strange and intricate loops that were supposedly text on the sign. What in the? "That's... s-s-so w-w-weird," Link thought aloud, turning from the sign and trying to put some rationality into this. Okay, it was just that; perhaps there wasn't anything to really worry about. He's dealt with all kinds of strange stuff as of late in his journey to saving Hyrule and Lorule. From being turned into a freaking painting on the wall to gargoyles of ice trying to flatten him to the ground, yeah this couldn't be as strange as those. But, why did he get this ill expression about what might lie ahead? He didn't believe he'd run into another monster, but the feeling he had was similar to when monsters were around him. Anxiety before they descended upon him to take him out.

Shaking out of his reverie, Link remembered that he was still outside in this blasted cold and began pounding the gate as hard as he could. "H-Hey! Can som-m-meo-o-one help m-m-m-me?!" Normally he was the one helping people all the time and it felt mighty good to be thanked, whether by heartfelt warmth of their smiles or of course, by a cool new gadget to add to his collection or money. He had a full wallet of Rupees, majority of them from collecting in treasure chests that were left behind in the dungeons he traversed through. While receiving money as thanks, he really appreciated it when it was spoken from the heart. So, he hoped he could be helped just as the same as when he helped people all across Lorule and Hyrule. He continued pounding, although they were getting softer as the adrenaline was wearing out and the cold was taking him over. Why was nobody coming? Would he freeze here and die before saving Zelda and the two worlds? Gosh, what a chosen hero he was.

Link huffed a chilly breath, slowly closed his eyes and knelt next to the gate, his bangs brushing up against its surface as he did. He couldn't believe he'd be dying before his adventure was finished and before he did what was tasked upon him. Was this whole thing Yuga's doing? ...No. Link would have known, just like when the fiend turned him into a painting in the Eastern Palace, and turned Osfala into a painting. Ravio's Bracelet somehow ran out of magic during his trip from Death Mountain's rift through the worlds and his newly acquired Triforce somehow saved him.

Was the gods looking over him? Were they forsaking him now, that he could possibly be outside their realm of silent guidance? But, what caused the magic in the bracelet to die out? And, how could he return to Hyrule or Lorule with it? The youth glanced to the trinket in question, noticing how the purple gem upon it was a dulled color; usually it was brightly shining but now it seemed dead. Then again, Ravio told him that the bracelet's magic sometimes depended on his magic reserves. Perhaps, Link didn't have enough when traveling through the rift? The more he thought of it, the more sensible it became. That was plausible, all things considered.

Then the Triforce, probably as an act to save its bearer, activated and took him to a safe location, outside of the rift. Maybe, it took him to a similar, geographical place. Death Mountain in Lorule was an ice cap more or less. Death Mountain in Hyrule was a volcano. This place was blanketed by snow everywhere... so perhaps...

"...So cold...ugh... Zelda, I'm sorry..." Link sighed sadly, nearly resigning to his fate. No one could hear him over the storm, no matter how good their hearing might be. He wasn't going to give up, but all things considered, he'd need another miracle to bring him out of this mess. If only he could redo his blunder...

"Hello?! Anyone out there!? Hello!" a male voice shouted, or at least Link thought he heard a shout and hurriedly, as fast as he could, tried to scramble up. Maybe he wouldn't be out of luck or miracles yet!

"H-H-Hello! I-I-I'm here! M-Me! I mean, I'm o-o-outs-s-s-ide! Please o-o-open th-th-the gate!" Link shouted back, as far as his voice could go. He was normally a reserved, quiet individual. The wind roared and whipped in his hair, clothes and everywhere else on him, making it twice as cold. It was blowing against him, so he stood his ground as much as he could without being blown over. He hoped that man whoever heard him. His prayers were answered when he heard the voice again.

"I'm opening the gate! Stay where you are, lad!"

How'd he know he was a kid? Oh well. Link wasn't going to question it. Muffled sounds of unlocking came from behind the gate could be heard and the green-clad youth took slow, few steps back as the gate opened outwardly, although not all the way. In front of him was a heavily dressed man in the appropriate attire for such weather, also sporting a lamp of his own and spotted the apparent kid with his eyes. He gasped but grabbed for the teenager, being careful with him.

"Come on, son. Let's get you out of this cold and into a warm house," the villager said, bringing Link into their village walls. The boy was ever grateful that someone was helping him, the doubt at the Hyrulean gods vanishing; how could he ever give up like that? Well, he hadn't fully given up but the thoughts his mind entertained were dangerously close to. Miracles were still happening, thankfully.

The man closed and locked the gate and then carefully but hurriedly rushed the both of them to a house nearby. Even with the combined light of the lamps, it was still dark and the wind was blowing constant snow into his face. "Don't worry, son. We're almost there." the man said most likely taking notice of Link's condition and grimace of the storm. The home was within sight not a moment longer. The door was wide open and standing outside on the door frame was a woman's figure. She had a lamp in her hands as if waiting for someone to return. As the pair got closer, the woman's image became clearer to the teenager. She had pale blonde hair and fair skin complexion although she was knitted up in the same appropriate attire as the man. Her eyes immediately landed on them when they arrived.

-o-

"Chares!" the woman beamed in happiness and concern. "You've returned safely!" she then took notice of Link and gasped. "Goodness! You're chilling to the bone, child. Hurry Chares, bring the dear in. He's shivering!"

"Of course, Eirene," the man, called Chares, said, hastily entering the house as the woman, called Eirene, stepped aside to allow them in. The female closed and locked the door behind her and swiftly went to fetch blankets while Chares lead Link to their fireplace to sit him down close to it.

"Th-thank you," Link managed to say through his chattering, milking in as much heat as he could. His clothes and chainmail were damp and he wished to change out of them... but he would wait for a while until he was ready to move. The fire... such warmth...

"It's no trouble, kid. I'm glad my wife heard your cries for help, otherwise you'd become the next icicle," the man said as he gazed upon the teen. The boy was armed, a sword and shield strapped to his back, now that he noticed, and he had a pouch of sorts tied to the belt looped around his waist. Was this kid a traveler? Or, perhaps one of the unfortunate fellows who were involved in the war against that man, the one calling himself the Conqueror of Valm? Curiosity ate at him and Chares couldn't keep it back. "Kid? Are you a traveler? A fighter, perhaps?"

Link had just peeled off his damp gloves in order to warm them further when the question was asked of him. He tilted his head slightly before nodding. "I am a fighter of sorts, yes. I fight against the evil of the world, in order to save the princess from peril and monsters who plague the land." The youth replied as truthfully as he could without revealing too much. He was a trusting fellow, although Link didn't want to include too many innocent people in his adventure. He didn't want to scare them in fear of Ganon's revival that was upon them. He'd rather keep them in the dark and save them from the disaster that was the evil of Ganon than tell them what could happen should he not make it in time.

"I'm also sort of lost, but that's all right. I'll find a way back on track," he added for good measure, giving the man a warm smile. "Thank you again for your help. S-Still a bit cold b-but... I don't think I'd have lasted that long out there." It was true; he'd been traversing the chilly Death Mountain of Lorule and the Ice Ruins that staying out in that weather probably would have killed him.

Chares, however, translated Link's message differently than he spoke. The 'evil of the world' that was 'plaguing the land' must have been referring to the Conqueror and those fell dead creatures called the Risen. Saving the princess must have referred to Princess Lissa of Ylisse, as that was the only one he knew. Unfortunately, since the girl's older sister was claimed dead in Plegia two years ago, a sacrifice that swayed many Plegians, although not all. Chares smiled a little at the boy's tale; the Shepherds ought to recruit this young lad for his determination. He may seem young, but he was full of tenacity that not many folk these days had. A rare gem among those who couldn't speak of perseverance like him. And, the man saw it in the lad's blue eyes; the eyes of an experienced youth who has seen hardship and trials.

Those weren't ordinary eyes; those were the eyes of a warrior. There was no mistaking it, despite the youth's warm personality. A rare gem, indeed. Eirene returned with a multitude of blankets, packing them on the lad in attempt to dry him thoroughly. She fussed over him like a mother would her child, mostly due to his age, and eventually let up to make warm tea for him once helping him set his items aside. Link felt really grateful and would definitely pay these nice people back for their kindness. It was the very least he could do.

"Lad?" Chares asked after a few minutes passed by, working with Eirene to make sure he was all right. "I must ask, what's your name and where are you from?" At that moment, the woman returned with the hot tea, helping the cup into his hands. "By the way, I'm Chares and the lovely is my wife, Eirene."

"Pleased to meet the both of you. My name's Link, sir and I'm from Hyrule," the boy said with relative ease while sipping from his cup. The man and woman stared at him oddly when he recounted his birth home and he wondered what troubled them so soon. "Um, is there something the matter?"

The pair exchanged odd glances with another before Chares shook his head. "Nothing too wrong, lad. It's just we've never heard of any place called 'Hyrule'. Where on the continent of Ylisse is that land located?"

To Link, this question baffled him. How did these people not know- oh wait, they're Lorulians, of course. No one other than apparently Princess Hilda, the sages and himself know of Lorule's and Hyrule's connection. He didn't want to trouble them, so he scrambled for a reply.

"I apologize. Hyrule's pretty far away from here, this land. I...forgot a bit." The youth chuckled while bashfully looking away a little. "But, you said this was...Ylisse? Where is that in this land of Lorule?" He had never heard nor seen any such place throughout the nearly year-long travels he'd undergone. The couple continued to stare at him in bewilderment and his own wasn't helping him understand why they were. Did they not know of their own land's name?

After a few moments of befuddling silence, the woman, Eirene, spoke up. "Link, dear. I'm afraid to say we do not know what a 'Lorule' is either, if I am saying it correctly. The continent here is called Ylisse. Our neighboring nation is named after our continent. Where we are now, is Ferox, and our village is Woodham, in the snowy reaches of the kingdom," she explained as best as she could. Poor child must have gotten his locations mixed up or really was lost and didn't know. She wanted to rectify that issue. "You may have journeyed through the incorrect lands in your search in ending this...evil you spoke of." Okay, that _wasn't_ what he intended to hear! It was almost as if she were saying he wasn't in Lorule or Hyrule at all. That can't be...could it?!

Blinking in sudden anticipation, Link tried to assess the situation, tried to wrap his teenage mind around the _maybe_ concept that he was no longer in either of the worlds he knew. Ravio had informed him to be careful many times... His forgetfulness landed him in this possible situation that he was _nowhere_ near either of the lands he was chosen to save. Gods...

"Could... I see a map, please?" he asked, a little in disbelief. "I mean, I could have sworn I was in Lorule, ruled by Princess Hilda?"

Eirene went to fetch a map while Chares studied the lad a little more thoroughly. Now that he looked at the kid more, his ears were very different. They were longer and pointed at the end. Almost like one of those fairytale stories children often speak about. Beings called "elves"... were they actually real creatures? Or, perhaps, he was of a different racial descent? Were those even natural, he wondered. The woman returned once more, this time with a rolled up parchment she handed to Link.

"I'm sorry... the only princess we Feroxi know of is named Lissa, of Ylisse, the sister to Prince Chrom, the current leader of the halidom neighboring us," the woman replied to his earlier statement she'd overheard while fetching the map. Link regarded her answer before nodding slowly. He wasn't truly getting it yet but...maybe...

"Thank you," he said, placing his tea cup down and moving to fetch his pouch, drawing out his own maps of Hyrule and Lorule he received on his adventures. He spread them out as best as he could and as soon as he peered from both maps he knew to the one he didn't, he gasped out in astonishment. No way. The continent he was staring at was clearly different than what he knew and added to that fact, the fine print on the Ylisse continent's were in that same text he couldn't read on that sign not so long ago. None of the geographical locations could be connected to one another. This was... This was...

"...N-No longer in... L-Lorule or H-Hyrule..." Link could barely breathe. This wasn't the first time he experienced culture shock, the sudden revelation hitting him harder than when he first crossed over to Lorule from Hyrule's Castle. As his mind was currently undergoing deep denials repetitively, a more decent side of it was putting the pieces slowly together. This happened when that anomaly happened during the transition from Lorule's Death Mountain and to Hyrule's Death Mountain. The bracelet running out of magic at such a critical time was the key, which caused his Triforce to ultimately save him from perishing. It all came down to this: he wasn't in either world any longer and he had no way back! How was he going to stop Ganon's complete revival and save both worlds if he wasn't anywhere there?

Was Ylisse an opposite world to Lorule, then? Was there any way to prove both places existed on another, parallel side? He really _was_ lost then.

"Link...?" Chares' voice was the first to bring him out of his thoughts. The youth managed to remember to breathe and exhaled deeply. Gods, how was he going to ever get back? Where could he start looking for clues to go about this?

"I-I'm sorry I paused for such a long time. I was thinking... and really confused. I must have gotten off...track. Way off track from my travels..." he admitted though keeping most of the reasons to himself. These people didn't need to know he was a bearer of the Triforce from his world or that he was a chosen hero. No... They probably had enough burdens somehow in this world, and he didn't want to trouble them further. Also, what if they leaked that information out to troublemakers? Link, as noble as he was, wouldn't blindly put out his faith or trust into these people. At least, not just yet. "I'm really lost, unfortunately. I'll have to find my way back home and continue my travels. I'm...sorry to be a burden." Link quietly stood up from his spot.

"Oh, no dear. You're no burden. Please, at least stay until you recover. We'll do what we can to help you find your way," Eirene insisted.

"Hm... Lorule, huh? It might be across the sea for all we know. As Eirene said, we'll do what we can to help you, young Link. It might be hard, but we'll figure something out." Chares added. Link appreciated the welcomed assistance and nodded.

"Thank you very much. I honestly don't know what else to say other than that..." the teenager bowed his head.

"Don't fret about it. Now come on, let's get you changed out of those damp clothes before you catch a cold! I've already warmed a hot bath and change of clothes for you in the next room. I apologize if the clothes are too large for you; our son was much older than you appear, Link. I'm afraid it's all I can spare at the time being."

Link pondered over her context clues and suddenly felt guilty. She used 'was' in her previous sentence. Did that mean their only child was gone? He didn't want to steal anyone else's clothes, even if they were dead or something. It didn't seem right. However, the nice lady was offering all she had; how could he refuse and say 'no' to her generosity? Instead of feeling sad, he smiled. "Thank you very much, Mrs. Eirene. I appreciate it." Link followed her, after he rolled up his maps and gave the one of Ylisse back to Chares, to the next room, where she explained everything he needed to know about the bathing room and the appropriate soap. She left him to himself after a minute and Link allowed himself to soak in the warmed water without his wet tunic and cap. He sighed in content at the relaxing temperature though he couldn't get his mind off the recent events.

Traveling to another world, huh? How in the blazes did he manage to do that? This continent Ylisse... the land within it was called Ferox. For some troubling reason, Link felt he would have to go on yet another journey in order to solve the mysteries around his arrival here. The only way to do that was to set out and explore. After all, that's how he got around Hyrule and Lorule. He just prayed to the Hyrulean gods that both lands were safe for the time until he returned. The Hylian youth's gaze turned to his bare, left palm, examining the dulled out golden Triforce embedded upon his person. It hadn't completely faded out like it normally would; it was flickering like a dimming out candle and he wondered if that was a sign of danger or truth. He knew he had to be careful when exploring. Who knew what dangers were in this place? Well, perhaps Mr. Chares and Mrs. Eirene would know of any current and ongoing issues happening. They seemed well informed and if the off chance they weren't, he'd have to travel to find information that would ultimately help him back to his true home.

' _Don't worry, Zelda, Hyrule, Lorule. I'm just taking a shortcut trip to get there but I will not abandon my duty. Just hold on until I return._ '

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 **What will Link do next? Stay tuned for the next chapter: Entering the Shepherds!**

-Ijoa


	2. Entering the Shepherds!

Saying thanks to those who faved and followed this story. I wasn't expecting that, to be honest. Enjoy this chapter.

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 **Courage Ablazed**

Ch.2 "Entering the Shepherds!"

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The next day was much different than last night, Link discovered. The presence of the snowstorm was lifted, as if it was cursed to the land. There wasn't any sunlight shining through the infinite amount of clouds he saw through the window of the borrowed room. However, it looked as if the storm never came at all. Odd. Then again, he's seen stuff more odd than practical weather changes. Link shuffled to the side of the bed, swinging his legs around to the edge and ran his hand through his golden locks. He had wanted to think yesterday was a dream, but no. It was all real. His evidence was the pain he felt when he pinched himself earlier when he first woke up and his wearing of different clothes that wasn't his customary tunic. The blacksmith trainee sighed heavily but wouldn't dwell on his woes right now. It was very sudden but he had another adventure to go on and couldn't stay here any longer than he had.

If he wanted answers, he'd have to travel around and get them. Staying in one place also wasn't going to do Hyrule and Lorule any good.

Breakfast had already been served and it consisted of ham and eggs. He learned that this world's Cuccos were called chicken. They even looked identical, however, the chicken looked much thinner than the plump Cuccos he was accustomed to seeing in Kakariko Village.

Mrs. Eirene had set his damp clothes by the fireplace to dry completely last night after hand washing them. She had fussed a bit that they were filthy and required stitches in the holes present on the clothing. Link was grateful to have her assist in that endeavor; his friend's, Culley's, mother would egg on him in a similar manner and tried to teach him how to sew. Key word: tried. It hadn't boded well then and Link was sure if he tried now, it would ruin his clothes than help them. Thus, leaving Eirene to take care of them was the best idea.

For the past hour, he'd been contemplating how much, Rupees, he would leave them. He didn't know if the currency here was the same as in Hyrule and Lorule. It would be much easier if they did. If not, maybe they could do a currency exchange? From his wallet, he went through his stash of cash, and produced 5 silver rupees. They'd done so much in one day already, Link felt they deserved more. With that thought, he added on a purple rupee to the Silver, making 550 in total. They could use this for something, maybe. It wasn't his entire life savings though he had a lot to spare, if putting it lightly. It was something he could do to say thanks in physical form for the hospitality they offered to him.

Closing his wallet, Link put it back into his pouch—that had thankfully dried and the contents within weren't too damaged—and gathered his things. He had checked up on each item and was sad to report some of them needed a waiting period before he could use them, mainly the rods. He would be stuck using his sword, shield, bow, boomerang and bombs, however, that was fine with him. The fairies and potions he had were all good, and he made sure said fairies were doing well.

Link tidied up the room the way it was before, having had the neatness bashed into him as a child by Culley's mother. She was a sweet woman but way too overbearing for his liking. When that was done, Link slipped on the pair of boots provided for him to use while his clothes finished drying off, and left the room. He was dressed in a white long sleeve button shirt, a dark brown coat over that, dark red thick pants, the boots as well as mittens and a beanie cap to cover his head and ears. All were a size or two too large but that was fine.

As soon as he stepped out, Eirene greeted him, looking up from her sewing his green tunic. "Oh Link! Are you going out already?"

"Yes ma'am. As much as I value yours and Mr. Chares' hospitality towards me, I think I should depart as soon as I can to find a way back to the lands I came from," the boy replied, feeling the guilt eat him up from the inside. He could see Eirene looked much sadder at that point, but there wasn't anything he could do. "I apologize, but it's best if I do. I have to help a...friend of mine. She was captured by an evil sorcerer and I've to do everything possible to get her back." That wasn't too far from the truth. "In order to do that, I'm going to need information about these lands and beyond, if there are any. It'd help me in the long run. I wouldn't have to depend too much on you and your husband if I venture alone."

"Ohh..." the blond-haired woman sighed sadly. "...But you need information, you say?"

"Yes." Link could detect her sorrow from where he stood. How did he get attached to her that quickly? Was it just in his nature to? Eirene gave him a small smile, turning quietly back to sewing in the stitches. After a brief moment, she spoke up again.

"There's a merchant that traveled to our village a few days ago. I reckon she's still here; her name's Anna. She's supposedly with a merchant caravan, but arrived ahead to sell her merchandise," the woman finally said, twiddling a thread and pin into a stitch as she did so, "I'll bet she could give you more information regarding the continent in full detail. You might have to pay her a hefty fine, however..."

"A fine? How much?"

"I'm not exactly sure but it's mostly over 1000."

Link paled at the expense and amount but returned to his composure quickly. He couldn't let that deter him. "All right. I'll go find her. Maybe... Maybe I could do something about the money. Wow. That's a lot..."

"It is. Are you sure, Link? I understand you're a traveler and a fighter, but that amount is too much, even if I am guessing what it is."

The youth shook his head. "No, if it must be done, then I'll do whatever it takes. Thank you for the concern, Mrs. Eirene, but it'll all be fine." Link assured her and made his way to the front door and exiting the house. On the way out, he placed the rupees upon a counter, just out of Eirene's sight. Chares' wife could only watch with worry on her face though couldn't help but be surprised. Her husband wasn't wrong with telling her about Link's persistence.

-o-

Link wandered around the village some, briefly meeting some villagers who greeted him warmly. With the cap on his head and shielding his ears from both suspicion and the cold, he looked like any ordinary child. However, he was armed and many of the citizens of the village noted that trait. Some didn't pay much attention when bypassed, all engrossed with their duties of the day. He asked for directions, namely about a merchant called "Anna." Link got a few hints or incorrect directions but he eventually wound up finding the woman using his instincts and of course, when one of the villagers helped him with the correct directions, too. She was a tall individual with red hair and matching red clothes that made her akin to being apart of a troupe. Well, given that she was apart of a merchant caravan, it was no wonder.

Knowing his wallet was going to suffer a bit, Link steeled himself and approached her open stall with a neutral expression. "Hello! Are you Anna by chance? Anna the merchant?"

The woman he hoped was Anna looked up from behind her counter, a smile on her face as she turned to her next victim—erm, customer! He was a young one, however if he had money then he was surely here to buy something! Ah, yes, cha-ching! "I am her, yes. May I help you?" She waited for the boy to come closer and was taken a bit back by his startling blue eyes.

"Yes, I'm wondering if you could tell me some information about these lands? I'm awfully lost and uh... well... I heard it was a hefty fine of 1000," Link started and noticed the red-haired woman's face light up at the mention of the monetary value. "Uh, if you'd be kind to...help."

She giggled a little, still grinning though. "Of course! Well, since you seem to be a first timer, we can settle on 500 as a start. Though, the more information you require the more it'll cost you. What do you say?"

Link slightly grimaced and knew his wallet would suffer. Gosh, why'd it always have to be the greedy ones? Oh well, he couldn't help it. "Very well," the teenager said, pulling out his wallet and taking out the amount in purple and red rupees. He closed and pocketed it again and handed Anna the money. "All right, 500 ru—"

"G-Gods!? Wh-What!?" the woman suddenly yelled and stared at the jewels in her hands, mouth agape. Link quizzically eyed her. Did he not give the right amount?

"I-I'm sorry? Did I give the wrong value?"

The woman seemed transfixed in place before finally breathing, blinking, and then stared at the boy, no the _filthy, stinking rich boy_ , in front of her in a new light. Her eyes were twinkling just like the Rupees and Link suddenly felt trouble was brewing. Anna clutched the gems, pocketed them and gave Link her undivided attention or some other. "Ohh, no you gave the right amount a-and more! I don't know how you managed to have an emperor's worth of money that you just gave to me... but I'm certain every penny in those jewels will leave me with a _very_ early retirement!"

Link was somewhat confused. Sure, the Purple Rupees were worth 50 and the Reds were worth 20, but honestly? Red were as common as finding a cloud in the sky. Purples were a bit difficult to find in the dungeons, and from defeating monsters in Hyrule and Lorule alike. How they 'dropped' money was still beyond him but whatever. "Well... I don't know how those are worth anything an emperor would want. Those are commonly found anywhere kind of. Like in grass or under boulders where I'm from..."

Anna suddenly seemed interested. "Oh? And where might I be able to travel to such a land?"

"Uhh, Hyrule."

"Mm... never heard of that before, but I'll have to look diligently for it!" the woman was enthusiastic about searching for his homeland. He was, too, although not in the same cheer as she was or for the same reasons.

"...I suppose. Um, so could you tell me about these lands here?" Link sought to get her back on track. She seemed very intrigued about the Rupees and did say she could retire early. This meant they used a different currency. "Like, currency, language, and all that?" Anna giggled again and began recounting the information per request. First, it was about the continent of Ylisse, the halidom that was mentioned to him yesterday evening, Plegia, Ylisse's westerly neighbor and Ferox's southerly one. They had a war with those lands two years ago, according to Anna, with a woman once formerly called Exalt Emmeryn sacrificing herself for a noble cause. Link felt she cared much of her people and the people opposing her lands to do such a thing. Something that he knew Princess Zelda would probably do as well.

While he was offered her spare stoll to sit on, she also touched up on the subjects relating to Ferox, pausing when Link had questions, and detailed the knowledge with as much as she knew. The tale ended with Anna finishing off that one of her sisters were with the Shepherds, led by Prince Chrom, as of currently and would be much more helpful in regards to the lands beyond Ylisse's continent. "Lastly, there's a—" Anna was about to say when she was interrupted!

"Bandits!" a male villager yelled. "Bandits have come! They're demanding money if we or the merchants want to pass through. If we don't pay... they'll ransack our homes!"

"The trading caravans are our only hope of getting fresh foods and water. If they don't let them pass...we could end up starving," another villager, a woman, spoke worry on her face. A lot of other villagers crowded around and spoke in hushed and worried whispers. Some thought of giving into what the bandits wanted and others protested to find another way. Before long, an argument broke out among them, throwing them into discord. Anna, having overheard the troubled news, stood up from her stall and promptly walked over to the group, or rather, around them, towards the gate. Link wondered what she was up to when he spotted her sheathed sword at her hip. Huh, she was a swordswoman? He hadn't even see her armed with that—maybe prices aren't the only thing she cuts...

Was she going to...? Oh no!

"H-Hey! Where are you going?!" one of the villagers shouted. When Anna didn't stop, he shouted out again. "Don't go out there! They'll kill you if you don't pay!" Anna simply giggled, sending a wink to the man before departing the village's gate. The villagers couldn't help but become evidently worried for her safety; what was that woman thinking?!

"Someone! Please help! Don't let her go out there alone!" a young girl cried out.

"I-I would b-but I'm not good with any weapons!" the sound of another male said, stammering as he went.

"I can't wield any weapons, either!"

"I'm retired from the Feroxi army, but I'll grab ma ole axe and whip 'em into shape, those bandits!"

"No, father, you can't go. You're too old and you'll only get in the way! I won't let you go."

These conversations carried out in front of Link, one after the other. He understood what Anna was doing or going to do. She was taking it upon herself to fight off those bandits to keep this village safe! While she might be one of those money-greedy kinds of people, she didn't deserve to die in line of protecting others. It wasn't right and it didn't sit well with him. Link's facial expression turned grim. He pushed himself to his feet and took off after Anna, ignoring the cries of the villagers calling out to him instead. "You're only a boy!" "Come back here, kid!" Yeah, he was "only a boy" but he's faced tougher and scarier stuff than simple bandits doing illicit things. This may not be his world, but he wasn't afraid to stand up for justice. He was the chosen hero in his land and he'd be damned if he allowed this to carry on!

-o-

The Hylian teen brandished his sword and shield just in time to see Anna deal "deep cuts" to a bandit armed with a bow and quiver of arrows. He didn't seem fast enough to avoid her before being taken down. A bulky man with an odd hairstyle—mostly bald with some of his hair coming forward like tiger stripes—wearing clunky yet fitting armor approached Anna with a leer on his face.

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid this village is closed," Anna said slyly, a finger to her bottom lip as her other hand still held her sword.

"You!" the burly warrior cried out in sudden rage, pointing at her with a glare. "We have business, you and I, and I aim to settle the debt. Vincent will be avenged today!" What in the gods' name is he rambling about?

"Hmm? Oh, dear. Have we met?" Anna seemed just as puzzled as Link was currently.

The man chuckled darkly before replying. "Playing dumb won't save you, girly. The gold you net from the slavers will build Vincent the finest grave in the land!" So, he was a slave trader then? How despicable.

"Careful, love," Anna started with a cunning grin and false pretense to playfulness, "Us traders are known to make very deep cuts." She charged to meet the burly man but was blocked by a nearby barbarian's axe, who intercepted her attack on his apparent boss. The Trickster jumped back just as the large back took a strangely shaped axe to throw at her. Nice dodge.

"Hmph! I'll get revenge today, one way or another. Come out and play, boys!" he yelled. From the trees and bushes emerged several other villainous ruffians, all glaring or grinning madly. "Take care of her and don't let her escape!" Another archer fired an arrow— _fast!_ —and it hit Anna's left shoulder, yet it didn't pierce completely. She gasped in pain but didn't go down. Link, using the bandits' unnotice of him to his advantage, charged ahead and delivered a few slashes at the archer, hoping to gain their attention so the merchant could go heal herself. The youth knew he hadn't fought living people before; they were always monsters. However, the castle guards that were being used by Yuga's nefarious deeds in Hyrule were the closest to human beings he'd ever slain before and it disgusted him the first time.

Those guards were being used. These bandits weren't and were doing it on their own accord.

The archer didn't have time to dodge him and went down, grunting in pain as he was slashed. Link backed up, now having the attention he sought on him. "The girl's with this brat. Take him down, too!" the apparent leader shouted.

"Boss! There's an army due south of here demanding to meet our challenge. What will we do?" another ruffian came up and asked of the man in charge, who snorted.

"We kill them for interfering. Let's go."

"What about the girl and the boy?"

"We'll come back for them. Don't let them out of your sights!"

"Yes sir!"

As the looming man left with a couple of his thugs, others replaced him, mostly with axes armed. Link stood defensively in front of Anna, his Hyrulean shield prepped to use to block whatever they could throw at him. "Miss Anna, are you all right? You have something to use to heal yourself with?"

The merchant gave him a smile as she removed the arrow, casting it aside and bringing a peculiar looking staff from her inventory. "Of course. I'm a Trickster; I'll be fine in a few seconds with this. Think you can hold them off for long?" Link nodded and refocused his attention back on the bandits—just in time, too, as one lunged right for him, a Steel Axe swung coming right for his knees! The chosen hero buckled down in time for the axe's swing to meet his bulk of a shield and Link used the momentary pause to slash out, a cry of "Teeyaaah!" along with it.

The bandit earned a few cuts as he used footwork to evade the rest of Link's slash attacks. However, as he did so, another axe-wielding ruffian replaced him temporarily, cutting off Link's next planned attack by sweeping him from his left. Just as the bandit from before, the golden-haired boy didn't have to time to dodge and the shallow, yet deadly cut on his arm, torn through the fabric of his coat, was evident enough. Link hissed but moved away and tried to follow up with a thrust.

"Yer gonna have to do better than that, kiddo!" the bandit he was currently clashing with taunted, as his buddy teamed up to chop the kid in half. He was stopped by a Steel Sword intercepting him this time, and a familiar giggle.

"Sorry, but no deal!" Anna chirped, bringing her sword up to throw the second ruffian away while Link dealt with the current one. The two used their agility to out pace their opponents, forcing them into a tough spot. Using that to their advantage, Link and Anna brought down their foes, but not without injury. Link suffered another cut, this time along his back and Anna didn't make it out without suffering a slash to her left arm. Still, it was better than nothing.

"You'll pay for that!" the remaining bandits cried, taking up arms against the pair. Both Hylian and Secret Seller glanced at one another, smirked and readied their swords for the next wave.

-o-

When he overheard the depressing tale of bandits performing illicit tolls on passersby that needed to come into this part of Ferox, the Shepherds' leader, Prince Chrom, had been righteously furious. With Frederick's word of the village suffering from future starvation should these ruffians continue their evil ways, the blue-haired royal sought to put an end to them. Similarly with the bandits they had defeated a few days prior in saving a Trickster named Anna from slave traders. Taking a few of his men of arms into the snowy field, a scout reported back with grave news.

The bandits were attacking a woman who looked similar to Anna and a young boy that might be from the nearby village. Frederick insisted they send a runner, possibly someone on horse- or Pegasus back, to warn them of the oncoming danger, and to close their gates until the battle was over.

"Chrom," a young, yet strong feminine voice called to his attention. He turned to see his best friend, a teenager he, his younger sister, Lissa, and Frederick had found while scouting the outskirts of Southtown of Ylisse two years ago. She proved to be an invaluable friend and tactician, once earning the trust of everyone she was around. Robin was short, just a reaching five feet in height, with a dark, heavy coat hanging onto her like a clothes hanger. Her brown eyes were always sparkling in awareness, and her short, fairly blonde hair made her look attractive. Of course, not to Chrom—he was married to a beautiful wife already. He would never say out loud that it was Robin's fault he fell in love with his now wife at first sight, though.

"Robin," he greeted her. "We're about to move out. Is there anything else you want to add?"

"Yes. We'll need to be careful with any fliers we send out. As the scout reported back, there are a few archers out there and we could risk their lives and the Pegasus they ride on. I suggest we keep all ground units and a couple horseback riders along. I was thinking Frederick and Stahl, and Sully to go and warn the people. Her authoritative tone would get them to stop and listen faster if they are in a panic." The tactician suggested thoughtfully. "Also, Maribelle should be brought along. She is on horseback herself; she should be able to reach the merchant and boy we overheard being confronted by the bandits and heal them of their injuries if we allow Frederick and Stahl to clear the path ahead for her.

"There are some mages out there, so bringing Ricken and Miriel along won't hurt, either, and they could take out the archers as well. Bringing Lon'qu with us to help us take out any bandits quickly. This is my suggested plans for taking on the field. Is there anything else?"

"Hm, no, and I agree with all your points and the people to bring. I'll go assemble them and we'll depart immediately," Chrom replied, trusting in his best friend's abilities. The girl nodded and went to prepare herself as the prince sought out the Shepherds that would be critical to bring along. His wife was also going to come along, not only for moral support but because he wanted to keep her close.

Not moments later, the gathered Shepherds finally charged onto the battlefield, paired up accordingly to double or triple team the bandits and take them down faster. The rest remained behind with the remainder of the army, at the ready in case they were needed for backup. Robin hitched a ride with Maribelle, wanting to check on the Anna-alike and the boy she was told about from the report. Maybe, hopefully, one of them would join their cause against the new menace calling himself Walhart. As Frederick and Stahl charged through and cut them down a path, Sully rode up after them, heading for the village as assigned to warn the people living there, while Maribelle rushed off to assist and heal the two fighting against the bandits. Just as the Valkyrie's horse was going through the snow-covered trees, a bandit of the Mage class jumped out to attack them with an Elfire spell.

Robin immediately met its assault with an Elwind, blowing the fire spell out and smacking the Mage across the way in the process. "Thank you, dear." Maribelle said as she directed her horse forward again. It wasn't long until they both heard a cry of, "Watch out, Anna!" It sounded suspiciously like a young boy's voice. Could it be the kid she was informed of?

This spurred Maribelle to go faster, find the source and quickly!

Just as they arrived on scene, they saw a boy no older than Ricken strike down a Barbarian class bandit with a golden blade that seemed to shine all on its own. Not too far beside him was...Anna? Wait, huh? How'd she get there? Or, was it another? With no time to think, Robin hopped off Maribelle's horse and whipped out her Elwind tome while rushing into the fray. The boy wouldn't be able to hold off an assault coming from his right! Speed casting as she ran, Ylisse's tactician blasted the arc of wind magic at the ruffian from the boy's right, catching his attention from a side glance though he didn't turn completely. He blocked an axe strike with his shield and the other Anna followed up by dishing out more strikes with her Steel Sword. Her last attack was a powerful slash which ended the man's life, his body collapsing to the ground beneath them.

Robin surveyed the area, her tome at the ready in case there were any surprise attacks from the bushes or trees as she approached the pair. "Are you two all right?"

The Anna-alike who looked remarkably like the Anna she knew was the first to respond. "Yes, my thanks to you, stranger. It's nice to see a friendly face for once." She had that charming smile to her face as usual. The merchant then turned to her fighting partner and appeared mildly concerned. "Link? Are you still well?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks. This is nothing, really," the dark clothed lad replied evenly.

Robin assessed their situation before spotting the female Trickster was equipped with a Heal staff. Ah, right. Tricksters were often tricky, no pun intended. Seasoned thieves who also had a knack for utilizing staves. Most likely because they might be targeted whilst in the midst of stealing or lockpicking. It was advantageous to being capable of healing yourself. However, the boy she couldn't assess as well. What sort of profession did he utilize? His style of fighting was peculiar and vastly different than the Plegian, Feroxi or Ylissean styles she'd seen over the few years. Still, he appeared very strong despite his age; Ricken and Donnel were prime examples of "young but strong" types.

"I understand and am thankful you're both well, however, allow Maribelle here to heal any wounds you've suffered. She is a certified healer that could detect anything grave. I would rather you not suffer any further ailments before this whole battle is over with," Robin spoke up after a moment's pause. "My allies and I are here to deal with the brigands."

"All right, sounds fair. And thank you for the help," the golden-haired boy smiled warmly which Robin reciprocated. Hm.

Maribelle dismounted her steed and approached the pair with her Mend staff on hand. "Very well then, allow me to see what I can do for you. Please stand here." As she quickly examined over the other Anna's well-being, Robin continued surveying their surroundings. Anything could happen at a moment's notice and being caught unprepared wasn't her cup of tea. She took note that the boy's gentle blue eyes hardened as they observed his surroundings as well, glancing in every which way possible while remaining still. He stiffened when his eyes picked up something and Robin opened her tome, ready for any attack on them. Did he see something she hadn't? The boy then did something that would baffle her for many days on end.

He sheathed his sword and placed his shield on his back, reached into his pouch, and pulled out a bow that was large enough for a person his size. Yes. He pulled out a bow. How was that even possible? Maribelle and Anna were equally astonished although the red-haired Trickster recovered first. "Link? What is it?"

"I hear something coming," the lad—now called Link—replied, waiting for a few seconds before pulling back the bowstring. Wait, he has no quiver full of arrows! How could he use that if he doesn't have any arrows? Did he forget? The tactician sought to rectify that issue.

"Excuse me, but you don't have a quiver of arrows. How will you use your weapon if you don't have one?"

The golden-haired youth side glanced at her and smiled. "Oh, don't worry. I have arrows handy. You'll see for yourself." He returned his focus back to the sound he had apparently heard and kept both eyes open. Robin was a bit curious—she hadn't heard anything. Did he have acute hearing or was the adrenaline rush from his fight with the brigands causing him hallucinations? Maribelle recovered from her shock and was most likely thinking the same thing.

Before she could open her mouth to speak, Link gently side stepped her advance, keeping his attention in the direction he heard whatever it was and suddenly tensed! Robin knew that look from anywhere—a warrior, a fighter's intuition—was strong as a brick wall. The teenage tactician readied her tome as she overheard rustling; something was coming! "Maribelle, Anna, and your name is Link? I'll handle whatever approaches, stay back." Robin whispered, though kept her volume a little high for them to hear her.

"Sorry miss, but I can't do that," Link refused and steadied his bow. Energy mysteriously gathered into the shape of an arrow until it actually was an arrow within the bowstring and his aim. As Donnel would say, "What in tarnation?!" How did he do that? Robin put aside her wonder in favor of launching an Elwind spell as Link fired his arrow. The thing that caused the noise zoomed out from the bushes and revealed themselves to be more bandits! However, one had an arrow lodged in his leg and was downed.

"Heh, if it ain't the girl and brat. Oh? You brought more of yer friends, too? Well no matter. The boss wants that kid dead and that girl taken. Get the other two as well—they'll sell just as nicely for the slavers!" one bandit said as he looked at Maribelle and Robin with lust and greed in his eyes. "And get Liam outta here!" Two others agreed and carried the one that had been shot by Link's arrow away from the soon-to-be battle while the rest remained behind. Robin was undeterred by the man's despicable words and narrowed her eyes. No one was going anywhere, not under her watch!

There were five of them: an archer, two barbarian types, a fighter type—the one that called them out—and a mage. Five to their four, an unfair match up but the tactician was no stranger to these odds. "Stay in pairs, and follow my lead." Robin told the other three, watching from the corner of her eye as Anna drew her sword again and Link kept his bow out. Good; he could be their temporary sharp shooter to take out the mage and archer. The bandits didn't wait any longer and charged at them!

"Link! Take out their mage and archer! Anna, mop up the stragglers! Maribelle, prepare a tome. You're with me!" Robin ordered swiftly and launched another Elwind spell at one of the barbarians. The noblewoman of Themis quickly rushed to her friend's side, having no time to reach her horse, as the chaos ensued. However, that wasn't to say she was useless. The curly blonde produced an Elfire tome from her inventory and, with Robin, launched spell after spell to get the bandits. The first barbarian targeted yelled out in pain when he was hit with a combination of fire and wind spells. He fell to the ground, unable to move since he was singed. The second barbarian roared over his companion's fall and bull rushed the women.

As Robin would say, wrong move. The brute lunged his Iron Axe for Maribelle though Robin proved herself capable by unsheathing her Steel Sword, stepped in front of the noblewoman of Themis and blocked the attack. The teen knew the man was volumes stronger than her and it was showing quickly when he was overpowering her clash. Maribelle stepped back just slightly, aimed and with a righteous "Yaaah!" the Elfire spell wrapped around the fool's arm and hit! He groaned in agony, stepping back and dropping his weapon in the process as he clung to his arm.

"Leave these lands and don't come back!" Robin demanded. If she could spare a life or two, then she would. To handle bandits is one thing, but to show mercy is another. Not a lot of people these days do and she wouldn't become a murderer of someone who she didn't show mercy to. The man, in his agony, didn't register what she said. He was fueling with much anger and rage at this puny girl's attempt to kill him. Ignoring his pain, the man gripped his axe with his other, unharmed hand and, with a roar, charged the women one more time. Robin sighed silently; people didn't know when to give up.

"DIE!" the man yelled in fury, lunging and swinging his axe downward to split them asunder. He didn't count on their evasion of his attack which was to be his downfall. Maribelle and Robin shared a knowing look: this one's going to hurt. Together, they fired off their respective spells of Elfire and Elwind, giving the "uncouth" brute a death similar to one of his companions.

-o-

Link, as instructed, aimed and took out the archer. While the older male was definitely faster in terms of grabbing an arrow, pulling the bowstring back and firing, the youth had the advantage of height. Being short became his boon in dealing with the other bow user and he put the man out with a relatively quick—for him—arrow. He had grunted and fell, but wasn't dead. No; Link preferred they lived. These were human lives and he had taken a few of them already. He was used to slaying monsters of evil, not other human beings. But, the wicked knows no bounds, and could be extended to these unjustly fools. Link would soon learn that, also in this world, it's "kill or be killed."

The mage fired off an Elthunder spell at him—not that he knew what it was really called—and Link rolled out of the way in time. Boy, getting hit with electricity did _not_ sound pleasant. Being shocked by many troubling foes that could electrocute their own bodies hadn't boded well in his time. Being purposefully zapped or flamed also contributed to that. Heeding the other girl's orders, which he knew he could trust just by listening to her, he pulled back the bowstring and fired another magically induced arrow. The mage dodged it however, couldn't dodge Anna as she swept him from the side, slashing into him and felling him. Link had slightly looked away when it happened, and glad he did, for now the remaining Fighter was charging for those two girls! They weren't going to see him coming!

Taking initiative, Link returned his bow back to his pouch and swiftly brandished his sword with his left hand. He tried to rush towards them but the brigand was faster!

"Geheheh! GOTCHA!" the man shouted as he grabbed Maribelle and held her.

"L-Let go of me this instant you barbaric, uncouth, uneducated savage!" the curly blonde demanded and tried to free herself, to no avail. He wrestled her tome away from her and tossed it aside.

"Maribelle!" Robin cried and took up her sword again.

"Take another step and this girl's dead!" the fighter ordered, pushing his axe dangerously close to Maribelle's exposed neck. The blade itself was mere centimeters from her skin, causing the Duke of Themis' daughter to stop struggling immediately, lest she lose her head. Robin froze in place; how was she going to save her?! "Hehehe, that's more like it. Now drop yer weapons," he turned to see Anna and Link behind him, armed although paused in place. "All of ye! DROP THEM AND STEP AWAY FROM 'EM!"

The other three slowly but surely complied with his demands, taking the few steps back from their dropped weapons. The brigand smirked as he had the rats right where he wanted them. "You! Red. Go heal my buddy over there. Try anything funny and you lose one friend!" Anna glared daggers at him but proceeded to do as commanded. She wouldn't let someone, now that she recognized as the Shepherds, to die on her watch. The Trickster took out her Heal staff, approached the wounded archer and began healing him. "Hurry it up, too!" The man yelled again. He glared at the boy, as if daring him to try anything. Link glared back however, he didn't move in fear he would behead the girl in his clutches.

He turned back around and motioned for Robin to come with. "Now git over here, girly! Ya'll make fine selling prices for Boss' slavers! Geheheh!"

Robin felt disgusted. She couldn't let this man win! There was a war to be had, to be won again. Losing to a simple bandit... Preposterous! Still, while he had Maribelle hostage, she would follow into his demands while thinking of a plan. One came to her suddenly as she saw the kid discreetly remove another object from his pouch. What in Naga's name was he doing? Anna had saw this as well, wondering what he was doing although remained silent. If he had a trick up his sleeve, then by all means...

Robin, as with Anna, didn't say anything as she continued to make her way towards the brigand, but anticipated his intentions—it looked like a yellow boomerang. As Anna was finishing up healing the archer, Link drew the item quietly. The bandit bow user apparently caught on and gasped. "W-Watch out!" he croaked loud enough. The one holding Maribelle hostage didn't have time to spin around when Link threw the boomerang! It sailed through the air and bashed into his head, rendering him dizzy. He groggily let go of Maribelle, who took the opportunity to escape his clutches. Anna kicked the other bandit she just healed down to prevent him from doing anything, allowing the other three to react!

Link rushed to grab his sword and swiftly struck it outward. Its blade of gold illuminated just a tad as a magical beam of energy slashed through the air and connected with the confused brigand. He groaned in pain from being hit by an apparent light beam of sorts. Robin, despite being partially mesmerized by such a technique, ran up to grab Maribelle's Elfire tome and speed cast to finish him off. When he was dealt with, she sighed in relief. Everything was looking up. "Robin!" The four overheard a man's voice call out. For two of them, it was a familiar tone while it got Link a bit on edge. Was it another bandit?

Stepping out from the trees were three men; two on horses, one wearing light blue armor with brown hair and another wearing green armor with jade hair. The last one wasn't on a horse although seemed to leak royalty. He wore a blue uniform with a white cape attached to his left side and had blue hair that looked more like navy blue than a blue reflected by the sun's light on water. Link calmed down a bit and relaxed some. These people didn't have the vibe of evil or ill intentions like those brigands. Also, since the other three appeared to know them, perhaps they were trustworthy.

"Chrom, Frederick, Stahl. Glad to see you three," the one apparently called Robin spoke up. "Was routing them all a success, I take it?"

"Yes. We defeated the lead bandit and the stragglers were dealt with. These lands will be fine for now on." the one called Chrom replied. "Are all of you all right?"

"As peachy as ever!" Anna smiled. Chrom regarded her and seemed puzzled.

"...Anna? What are you doing here?"

"I was with a merchant caravan although I went ahead to sell to the villagers. They do need food, after all!" She replied, however the blue-haired man still seemed confused. "I believe one of my sisters joined your group, the Shepherds, yes?" Ohh.

"O-Oh, yes. I recall now. It's just...you all look the same. Doesn't that get confusing?"

"Hee-hee! Not really!" the red-haired woman chirped happily. "However, I must thank you for helping me. No one from the village, except little Link here, was willing to deal with those bandits. I must be off to gather my things from my stall and head out." Anna laughed a bit, patting Link's head before making her way back to the village. The others turned their attention to the golden-haired lad, who bashfully chuckled.

"It was nothing. I couldn't stand to let her come alone," he replied sheepishly while sheathing his sword again and tucking his boomerang back into his pouch. His sudden action reminded Robin of what she'd seen him do before and prompted to speak openly about it.

"That reminds me... Link? Are you a traveler of sorts?" She had that twinkle in her eye and the rest knew exactly what she was about to do. Chrom caught on and decided to let his tactician swindle—erm, recruit a possible, new Shepherd. If she approved of this character, he would as well. Link, unfortunately for him, didn't catch what she was intending to do and took it for face value.

"Yeah, I'm a traveler. Kinda. I got lost and nice people from the village let me stay for a bit," he replied truthfully. "I'm on a journey to protect my lands from evil... although, I got off track and wound up here. I need clues to help me search for a way back home so I can save my friend." He at least hoped Zelda and him were friends. He was also leaving out certain things but again, he couldn't let these good people be wrapped up in his adventures. If they could give him a lead, then he'd be forever thankful.

"I see. Have you any leads yet?" Robin asked, trying to put some pieces of her newfound puzzle together.

"No... the man and woman who cared for me since last night suggested I find a woman named Anna. I found her and she gave me a run down of what these lands are. She also suggested I find her sister, also called Anna, who was in the Shepherds?" Link quizzically scratched his head. "Are they...really Shepherds? Tending to sheep a lot?"

Chrom couldn't help but chuckle at that. People often confused them with real shepherds. "Yes, we tend a lot of sheep," he started, getting the boy's—Link's—attention. "I'm Chrom, the leader of the Shepherds. If you're looking for Anna, she is with us. However—"

Link gasped and immediately bowed to the ground. "S-Sir! I mean, sire! Prince Chrom! Uhh, I didn't know you were...um, you! Goodness, I'm sorry! Forgive me for my rudeness!" The others shared a hearty laugh as Chrom sighed with a face palm. Gods, not this again. But perhaps, they would earn a new ally and friend from this encounter. Link, huh? He was a kid of surprises.

* * *

 **Link met the Shepherds! Will he go with them or not? Stay tuned for the next Chapter: "Creatures of the dark: Risen!?"**

 **-Ijoa**


	3. Creatures of the dark: Risen!

Thanks for reviews/favorites/follows. I hope this story is satisfactory so far! Thanks to TheLegendaryBladeFalchion for an idea they gave me. Anyway, let's get on a roll!

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 **Courage Ablazed**

Ch.3 "Creatures of the dark: Risen?!"

* * *

Thanks to the Shepherds routing the remaining bandits, the village of Woodham was saved and spared from their illicit tolls and slave trading. Link smiled as the man in charge of the army greeted the townspeople, his presence was welcoming and calming for them. While Chrom wasn't the ruler of these lands, of Eastern Ferox, he was an ally of the Khans. That much was known and the villagers showered them with sincere praise. Unlike stuffy, prideful nobles, Chrom was embarrassed by the praise but accepted it nonetheless while pointing out he hadn't been alone and gave credit to each of his fighting force.

That was nice of him to recognize his comrades. The golden-haired youth had learned a little of the Shepherds when on the walk back to the village―apparently, their tactician called Robin was the reason for their many victories so far and Chrom had a rather stern lieutenant by the name of Frederick. He was the one in the light blue armor, who had given him such a scrutinizing glance. Link was unnerved by his piercing stare―or glare, whichever it was―and had turned away to avoid it as much as possible.

Anyhow, he back to the couple's house, Mrs. Eirene's and Mr. Chares' home. He had been little ways successful in locating the Anna that was within the Shepherds' company. Though, after spending some time finding and speaking with her, the information she provided was useful; she pointed out that perhaps one of her cousins that usually remained on the continent of Valm would be of more use to him. Well, as far as he knew. Inwardly, he was slightly grateful for being pointed into the right directions but outwardly frustrated. Why was he frustrated? Oh, yes, because Valm is the last place anyone would want to go. Why? Because Ylisse and Ferox are going up against said country in a war. If anything from the history texts he read about the old, Hyrulian wars were true, Link didn't want to be in the crossfire of warring nations. What were they going to war for he didn't know.

But, the fact possible help was beyond the sea... he'd have no choice but the venture through the dangerous, unknown again. He'd done it before; this time wouldn't be any different. The fact of the matter, he would need to ask for help getting a ship to sail him to Valm so he could carry out his personal task. Returning to Lorule was nigh important as both Princesses needed his help. But, who would willingly help him in his time of need? This area, Ferox, was odd. According to his memory of the continent of Ylisse, the nearest port was the western Feroxi port, which looked like a seven to ten days of travel on foot. He needed some guidance, therefore, seeking out the nice couple he'd been with was his only option. The golden-haired youth sighed lightly as he approached the home, noticing Mrs. Eirene standing by the doorframe, reminiscent of what she'd done yesterday evening.

"Link!" the blonde-haired woman exclaimed, worry gripping her voice as she spotted the teenager. She rushed to his side and checked him over, a familiar gesture he was used to. "Oh, thank Naga you're all right. Chares and I were so worried! The other villagers were saying something about a boy and one of the merchants headin' out to wart out the bandits!" The boy tried to offer a reassuring smile to her as he spoke up.

"Yeah, that's about right. But, they're all dead now," Link replied when the older woman eventually paused in front of him. He quickly added: "Anna and I got help."

Eirene's growing worry transformed further, "Link, please don't do anything rash like that again!" She scolded, hands on her hips and watching as his head hung a little. "I know you're a traveling warrior, but... charging right in without a plan is dangerous."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Eirene, but Miss Anna was walking to her own death. I couldn't let her go alone, so that's why I went after her," Link defended himself. It wasn't as if he carelessly decided to charge after the merchant―he did so armed and ready. Not only that, like he said before, they got help. Granted, the help came to them at a very crucial moment, but the point was still there. Eirene sighed as her panic washed away, seeing the boy's unwavering expression. She couldn't help but be reminded of her son; Link unknowingly brought about those memories. Shaking the thoughts away, she relented, finally calming down some.

"All right... I'm glad you both got help. I just want you to be careful from now on, understand?"

Link nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now, come on in. I finished fixing up your clothes and will soon start on lunch."

At the good news, the Hylian didn't hesitate and followed her into her home once more. Mr. Chares was standing in the walkway that led to the door and gaped in surprise seeing Link step in, unscathed. "Chares! He's back, oh bless Naga for his return!" Eirene exclaimed happily. Link smiled sheepishly then his eyes locked with Chares.

"Lad, you're all right. For that, I'm very glad," the man finally said after a moment's silence. "Ya had us both scared up all right!" Chares stared down at the youth though Link didn't recoil back, only staring back. "I overheard my wife giving you a tongue lashing out there, so I won't be repeating what she said. I'm just glad you're safe."

"Yeah..." Link smiled a little. He had people worry over him before, and these two weren't excluded from that group. It felt nice to have people worry about his well-being. That meant they genuinely cared to some extent. As relieving as it was that these two people cared about him, even in their short time spent together, he had a self imposing task to complete. He couldn't do it alone, and thus, sought their guidance. When his face transformed into a grim one, Chares recognized it and frowned.

"What is it, son?"

Link blinked out of his small reverie when called out to. Eirene was standing beside him, concerned once again. "Link, are you sure you're all right? Do you have any lingering pain or injuries? Let me help-" She started but the teen shook his head.

"I'm fine, really. The people that helped were the Shepherds―a lady healer of theirs fixed up my injuries no problem." he started, remembering Maribelle easily. How could he forget her and her curly hair anyway? "I just have something on my mind, and some things to ask..." the youth replied, his blue eyes glancing from her to Chares then back. "It's really important." Having no idea what it could be, the couple relented, and led back into the living room area. All three sat down, and waited for Link to continue what he meant.

-o-

"Ya say you want to travel to Valm because of information you need to get back home could possibly be there?" Chares asked, wrapping his mind around the absurdity of what Link told him not but a scant few minutes ago. Link nodded his head once, his and Chares' eyes meeting in a steady deadlock. The man sighed heavily. "I don't like it, but there's nothing we can do to stop you from leavin'." He said after, feeling the waves of disagreement from his wife.

"But-"

"I know it could be dangerous, but I'm a fighter, Mrs. Eirene. I've been one for over a year now. I've been in tough situations before, like today." Link recalled briefly the many monsters he had slain, how stronger they were the further he trudged ahead to saving the Seven Sages in Lorule's dungeons. The everyday, average monster would try and kill him if he stayed in one place longer than a minute. It was by miracles alone he hadn't died―he owed that to the fairies and potions. From Armos to Zoras, and dodging traps like Beamos and Fire Bubbles, he had quite the time of his life getting out of tough scrapes and corners.

Sure, he knew monsters weren't the same as fighting a person, which he had done not so long ago. Fighting and killing people over whatever the goal is, to stay alive or to do wrong... It wasn't the same. He knew taking a life was wrong. The monsters he had slain, Link wondered if they had been peaceful beings before being transformed... Like that Hinox he found in Lorule that offered him Rupees in return of being left alone in peace. They were capable of talking just like people were. Was it right to slay them left, right, and center? No. But, Link had to be callous when taking them down or they'd get to him. It was a kill or be killed scenario each time. Was being here, in Ylisse, any different? No, it wasn't. The bandits were the personified forms of monsters, in their own, human-like way. Because of that, what they followed by was immoral, they had to be taken down to save endangered lives.

At the end of the day, people who do wrong are either corrupted or have no choice but to follow the misguided ways. At the end of the day, the monsters that lived in Hyrule and Lorule alike, were in similar positions. At the end of the day, Link would have to fell them all the same. Perhaps... this was why, well partially the reason why, Mrs. Eirene was worried? For someone as young as him to be taking lives and probably without mercy, maybe it wasn't right to her.

Boys as young as him were often enlisted into the military force in ages past in Hyrule, when wars broke out and the Castle needed more, able bodied men recruited. This shouldn't be any more different, other than circumstances.

"He's not our boy, Eirene," Chares started, getting both hers and Link's attention, "Yes we helped him but he's a warrior at heart. And, he needs to get on home to save his friend. That much is urgent and we shouldn't be denying him leave."

"...I-I understand. I'm just worried about him. Not because of that but because... well, you know..." She trailed off though her husband understood. Together, they recalled some things and weren't excited to discover them. Even if that particular information wasn't common around this village, it was broadcasted into the world beyond. Link would have to be extra careful in his steps. Both wife and husband looked to their young charge, who stared back at them with hopeful eyes. They had just met him and yet they were already doting on him like their second son. Already attached to him like glue. But, they knew they couldn't hold the lad here. He was destined to do great things, that much they could tell. To hold him back wouldn't be helping him—it would only hinder him and stint his progress.

"Link, before you leave, let us help you one more time," Eirene finally spoke up, holding her hands close to her heart. "And remember, you are welcome back here anytime. Will you remember that?"

Grinning, the boy nodded. "Of course. Thank you so much, the both of you. I know it's only been a day and a half, but I'm really thankful for your help. You've been kind to me even if I'm a stranger. The least I can do is return and visit again."

"And we'll be waitin' for you, lad." Chares pitched in. "Link? Perhaps you should go with the Shepherds. I overheard some talk around here that they were headin' for Carrion Isle. Whatever reason, it might be due to getting across the sea to tackle Valm head on. That's from what I have gathered."

Hm, not a bad idea, Link thought to himself as he mulled over it. His first encounter with the Shepherds wasn't so bad. Plus, that girl- pardon, young lady—named Robin seemed interested in him. He wasn't blind to not see that odd glint in her eyes when he spoke with her earlier. Oh boy, he hoped his observation skills weren't lacking. Anyway regardless, it would be beneficial to go with them. They could be sailing across the sea and into Valm territory. From there, he could probably break off from them and travel alone like normal. No matter what, he couldn't allow them to be swallowed up in his mess. They had other worries to take care of, like the war.

-o-

When Link was all set—the couple allowing him to keep the winter clothes in case he needed them- he headed out and tried to find anyone from the Shepherds. To his dismay, when he asked around, the villagers all said the same thing: The Shepherds had left. Gods dang it! From multiple perspectives, the Ylissean force hadn't been gone for so long, around half an hour at most. But, they had carriages and horses, something Link _didn't_ have, and probably would be on the move much faster than him. The lad grumbled at the thought of being left behind―how would he even catch up to them now? Link glanced at his left wrist, Ravio's bracelet still adorned there. The purple jewel didn't so much as flicker in light. The magic was either completely depleted or it was taking a long time to recharge itself. Not only that, but his other rods were still inaccessible―as if he'd want to use them in a snowing place like this―and his Fire Rod was acting odd. His Lamp was all right, as with his Boomerang, Bow, and Swords. The other Rods weren't working, either.

Great.

He was trudging through three or four feet of snow, following 30-minutes-ago footprints and some of his weapons weren't cooperating. What's next, a large hailstorm? Wait, he should probably not say that and accidentally jinx himself. Hyrulean gods forbid he go and make this day even more crappier than it already was. Link knew he would have to hold onto the hope they would stop for a night or something. It would buy him time to catch up, despite it would cost him hours of sleep to reach them. It was too bad he couldn't run as fast as a horse-

Huh, wait a second.

Run as fast as a horse? Couldn't he-?

Wait! That's right! He could! Suddenly getting the idea, Link stopped walking and began rummaging through his pack. How could he have forgotten about them? The Shady Guy who had given them to him would have been disappointed in him. The brown, white winged boots were still as neat as the day he received them. Okay, maybe not as good. There were some tears but they weren't obvious or troublesome. A little polish here and there then add some quality repairs would make them shine again. However, right now, he'd worry about fixing them later. He had an army to catch.

A moment passed and a swap of boots later, Link was adorning the Pegasus Boots once more. He stashed his other boots in his pack and prepped himself for the run of his life, again. These shoes went as fast as—probably faster than—a horse. He'd reach the Shepherds in no time! Hyrule's chosen hero gave himself a running start and, as usual, the boots started kicking up momentum, propelling him forward in a swift burst of speed. Snow and dirt alike were disrupted by his feet and soon, the world around him flew by in a blur of colors.

-o-

 _ **Shepherds**_

-o-

Things were looking up for the Shepherds; once they departed the village, Woodham, and set out for Carrion Isle. While the looming war was swiftly approaching and endangering the peace around the world, there were the small things that attributed to the peace that Prince Chrom and his army had fought for. One being villages in both Plegia and Ylisse weren't succumbing to skirmishes any longer. Ferox and Ylisse had time to rebuild and reconstruct from their losses. Also, the Risen—the dark creatures that had been spotted from two years ago—were nowhere around. It was as if they vanished off the face of the planet, which added to the peaceful times. However, this Walhart the Conqueror was threatening such hard-earned tranquility. He had to be stopped, especially from reaching the Feroxi port and bringing the terror here.

Their best chance was to keep the warring on Valm.

The Shepherds stopped their march after departing the Feroxi capital by Chrom's command. With this cold weather, it was best to situate the campgrounds together early and leave in mid-afternoon the next day. The Ylissean prince got orders around and within an hour and a half, the camp was made, tents and all, and everyone doing their share of chores. On kitchen duty were the green knight, Stahl, the Pegasus rider, Sumia, and other nameless soldiers of the Ylissean army. On the menu today was tomato and chicken broth—excellent for such dreary weather that was commonplace in Ferox.

The leaders of the two combined nations of Ferox and Ylisse were exiting their strategy tent, all in gear for their next meeting and coordination of attacks against Valm and their approaching fleets. Robin was the last to exit, and she did so with a long sigh. It wasn't that she was tired physically, not too much; the task of brewing up plans and contingency plans on the back-burner were taxing. Despite her youth and innovation, she was still quite exhausted mentally. However, as Ylisse's top tactician, it was up to her to strategize and coordinate where her comrades would go as far as positions went on the field. Since they would soon be boarding ships (hopefully, this new king of Plegia would be decent), they would have to split their force up accordingly. The meeting they had left from consisted of just that. Even though she was a bit tired, she thought to seek out Anna. When nobody thought she wasn't looking, Robin saw the red-haired Trickster speaking with the mystery boy, Link, hours ago.

Her curiosity was astounding though something told her she shouldn't pry as it could be private. Still, whatever information she could get that would benefit the army would be pleasing. Besides, she had to uphold all their safety and she was accountable for any losses as they'd fall back on her. Withholding information, crucial or not, could be any army's downfall. Thus, the blond-haired young woman hurried through the campgrounds, bypassing many soldiers either doing some chore work or training, in order to find Anna. The first place she thought to look was inside the Barracks. Usually, said Trickster could be found counting up her personal profits.

Robin made her way to the Barracks and thankfully Anna was inside. She seemed to have just finish counting her earned coins, stashing them into her pouch for safe keeping. Smiling, Robin approached her. "Anna, there you are. I've been looking for you." Aforementioned woman glanced up when her name was called and smiled back.

"Oh? You were looking for lil ole me? I'm flattered, Robin! Here to try some new face cream?" Anna asked with a side glance and chuckle. Robin blushed a bit in embarrassment though shook her head.

"N-no, actually. I'm here to ask you a question or two. Are you busy by any chance?"

"Nope. I just closed up shop not long ago and finished counting every pretty coin," the woman laughed as she jiggled her coin pouch. The clunking of the coins inside made her truly smile. "Though I can take time for you Robin dear. So, what's up?"

"Okay. I don't mean any offense, but today, before we left Woodham, you were talking with a blond-haired boy?" Robin questioned. To Anna's slightly confused expression, she elaborated a little. "The boy called Link that helped your, um, sister?"

"Oohhh, him! Yes, what about him?"

"Was there something he had asked of you? I was a little curious since, well..."

"You were trying to recruit him but he turned it down in favor of doing something else, right?"

Robin frowned a little at Anna's rather blunt response but otherwise nodded to it. "Yes. He said he had 'something to do' first, which included finding you it seems. It sounded urgent, and the small discussion you two were having..." She trailed off, glancing to the red-haired woman. Anna recounted her memories and nodded to each one in understanding.

"Right. He said he needed to find his way back home and was pointed my way from my sister. She's the Anna we helped near Woodham against those brigands," Anna said, with Robin inclining her head in understanding herself, "So, I pointed him towards my cousins in Valm—surely they would know a thing or two about Valm. I've never been in actuality, ha-ha!"

Robin blinked a little. So he was looking for a way to Valm? Maybe she should have mentioned it to him—that they were on a campaign against the very nation he was trying to travel to. Or, at least, get into the 'know' of it. Seemed a little ironic he would turn down an offer to join with an army heading for the very place he was intending to go to. Ah, well. It was her fault mostly. _I messed that one up,_ the blonde-haired tactician thought with a low sigh. With how things were, Link was sure to never get across the seas to Valm's continent. He would need a ship and that's too pricly for anyone save those wealthy people. "Thank you, Anna. I wasn't sure if that information was private or anything. I apologize."

"Oh, no it's quite all right. You are the Lady tactician of our army. Anything we know would be better off in your hands for future situations," Anna reassured her and winked. "Well, now I'll get something to eat. I heard there's chicken broth for dinner today."

"That's correct. Stahl's spearheading that mostly since he's on kitchen duty."

Anna laughed a little and Robin joined in. Anything with food stamped on it and the green panther of Ylisse would definitely be there with a fork and plate in his hands. The two women bid each other a farewell before going their separate ways. As Anna left for the Mess tent, Robin remained rooted in the barracks, going over some thoughts of hers. Most of them consisted of last minute ideas which she would write down later and present them if worked out the kinks. She also hadn't forgotten how Link used that bow of his. Magic arrows were unheard of, but not outside the realm of possibility. Was he in tune with the magical essence, more so than the mages of today? How queer. As she walked out of the barracks, she glanced up just as Lissa was running towards her, nearly out of breath! What in the world?

"Lissa?"

"Robin! Come quick! Risen are nearby!" the Ylissean princess said loudly, with no time in between to catch her breath. Forgetting her ideas and thoughts immediately, Robin's eyes narrowed and strength returning, she return nodded and the two women were rushing back to grab their equipment and meet Chrom quickly. Why were the Risen back? Hadn't they vanished two years ago? What could possibly be going on? Whatever the case was, they had to stop them before they caused any havoc!

-o-

 _ **Link**_

-o-

Link was leaning against a tree, panting, taking huge gulps of air to regulate his breathing pattern. Sure he'd crossed distances much farther than that, but the path he'd taken from Woodham's local area to where he was currently was certainly a _different_ kind of ride. There were so many twists, turns and ledges in his way! He was certain jumping over and manuevering around them while the boots were going their maximum speed was anything _but_ safe. The Hylian had one hand against his rapidly beating heart behind his ribs and gripping the nearby tree branch intensely. While the prospect of such was terrific and thirlling, it had just a little bit too much thrill for the teenager. _Okay, note to self... Never again!_ Link grunted to himself, slightly gnashing his teeth together.

Running faster than the wind in this weather was, for one, not a good idea now that he realized it and two, he was sure he lost sight of the Shepherds' trail, given it was bordering on evening time, with the sun setting over the horizon. Three, the cold was starting to catch up to him. "This honestly couldn't get any worse," the blond-haired youth muttered under his breath. He must have been cursed by this world's gods because as soon as those words left his lips, dark blobs of energy formed just across from where he was resting. Link blinked as he stared curiously and nervously at the growing darkness formation. It looked like a human body was rising out from the ground with some sort of fell magic being used. Once the creatures of the dark were done forming, where eyes would be glowed a menacing and eerie red.

They groaned out unintelligibly and before Link could figure out what they were doing, two of them rushed at him! The youth cried out and reacted, moving out of the way as fast as he could! Although these zombie things—he was sure that's what they were—didn't have razor claws to rend him with, they were suspiciously armed with weapons! Swords, axes, lances and even undead horses! His poor beanie hat didn't make it out of the quick attack and was lobbed off at the top. It was luck that his head didn't suffer from such a blow.

When Link was a considerable distance away, he swiftly removed his sword and shield, glaring at these new enemies. _They look like something Yuga would conjure to stall me,_ he thought, bringing up his shield in time to block an axe coming and with his sword, another katana-like blade coming to his right. _They're fast... Like they've been animated to be this fast or something! I've to do something quick or they'll make mince meat out of me!_

Assessing his situation, Link pushed forward to knock the two undead creatures back—it had little effect but it bought him precious seconds to think of another idea. There were only three of them and one of him—he could do this! The one on the dark horse was charging him from behind with its lance ready to pierce him. Thanks to his ranged hearing ability that his kind was blessed with, the youth ducked seconds before it came out contact. The soldier-riding-the-horse struck its own teammate with the axe while Link rolled up and stabbed the sword wielding undead in its chest. He drew back and grinned; victory was his! They seemed fast but they honestly no match for him and now he can finally catch his breath.

However, what made this victory less of one was the fact none of the creatures were dispersing into nothingness like the usual monsters in his lands do. Before he could ask himself, the undead soldiers slowly turned their heads around to face him—and he was behind them! The creaking of their old bones and their heads turning at an unnatural angle made the Hylian gag and gape simultaneously. None of the foes he's faced did _this_! Gritting his teeth, Link was back on his feet, dancing around the trees with the snow making a rather nice slippery floor for him, and dodging any blows that were aimed for him. Well, all their attacks were aimed at him!

They left no room for any openings this time, Link noticed, as they got faster and appeared to pick up on his fighting style. He was battling back the fast undead swordsman, who was gaining the upper hand quickly, and the undead axeman, who wasn't giving him the time to catch a breather. He had unfortunately lost sight of the non-living soldier on the equally non-living horse. How he did was beyond him. _I need to locate them quickly. They could be planning something, which seems really weird, but I can't let anything get by me!_ Link pressed another sword slash at the swordsman. It blocked his attack and tried itself but got caught on Link's shield. The axe came down to his left, aiming to bisect him! Still, with the advantage of height on his side, the Hylian youth ducked and blocked the attack by leaning down to one knee, using the ground as a pillar. He grit his teeth when their combined attacks collided with his shield. Link thought his arm was turning into pudding! How strong where these freaks?

In that moment of lapse, Link yelled as he swept out with a low spin attack, his golden blade shining and leaving a streak of yellow behind it. The swordsman had better ideas and jumped back but the axeman was not so lucky. It was hit and it groaned out, turning into its own version of purple, smoky dust. The Hylian was baffled for only a few seconds before he had to guard himself with the swift strokes of the undead sword-user. It lashed out five times in succession, leaving him no room to counterattack! Three of the five hits had cut through his defense and left slash marks on his legs. Still, Link bore the pain and swung out, intending to clash!

To his surprise, it hit the fell creature on its shoulder but it wasn't down yet! With its glowing, eerie red eyes locked onto him, it slashed and slashed, intending to cut down its opponent with no remorse. Link's thick coat had tears and he was sure he was bleeding now but he couldn't stop. No, he couldn't stop not when the opponent was gaining an upper hand! _Shoot, it's getting bad!_ He thought, angry that he was still tuckered out from the running prior to the fight and he hadn't gained much of a repreive since. And to the worst luck, the horse rider was _still_ missing. Where had it gone? His slight distraction cost him—the swordsman slashed once more, forcing Link to cry out painfully and drop his shield in his painful panic!

He shut his eyes for a fleeting second and hearing the telltale signs of a sword coming down upon him, he jumped back! His right wrist was suffering he knew. It wasn't too deep thankfully but damn it hurt bad! Hurriedly, Link removed his beanie cap—what remained of it—and forced it on his wrist to at least stop the bleeding from pouring out. Like a vampire smelling the fresh blood, the undead swordsman leered at him (he was certain it was!) and dove to drive its blade into the youth. Link jumped back from its homicidal killing move and subsequent ones as it tried to finish him off, probably sensing his accumulating blood loss. The evil creature continued its deadly rub out, intentions of slaying the much-alive teenager most likely brewing in its decayed mind. Link was able to get himself out of the close scraps and corners each slash. He was biding his time, hoping he could find some opening to exploit—aha! Much like he was only left-handed, the undead, humanoid creature was strictly right-handed. Also, when it swung down, it left a margin of an opening for him to utilize against. It was a risk, but he was up for taking it at this point.

 _I still have to be careful and on alert—that horse riding one is probably still around, waiting for its moment to strike when I'm weak or something._ Link thought to himself as he purposefully turned tail and made a hasty retreat. He knew the creature was on his heels but he was hoping for that. It was unaware the one it was pursuing could run faster than a horse. Smirking internally at that thought, Link slid his Master Sword back into its sheath and opted for a Bomb. The small, black rolling ball of gunpowder would be his saving grace. He lit the explosive and stopped at a tree coming up in front of him. Bracing himself for the oncoming assault, the youth waited for the swordsman to slash and follow up like before in its technique. Link was caught in its deadly dance, dodging left, right and ducking when the attacks came upon him. It wasn't long when he spotted the marginal opening again!

 _Please work, please work, please work!_ Link chanted like a mantra to himself, chucking the bomb as the undead sword-user then rolled to the right! The bomb went off as soon as it touched the creature, forcing it back. Its entire right side was blown off from the impact as well as it launched far away. Link, while not as close, was still blown away as well from the shockwave of such close proximity. He coughed as the ash and smog surrounded his field of vision but he knew he got the creature that time. There was no way it could have survived at near point-blank detonating bomb. The same could be said about him but his magic power was keeping him relatively safe. Key word being relatively. He'd been hit by blowbacks of failed bombs many times and was surprised he hadn't lost a limb from them. Though, he'd rather much keep all limbs in tact, thank you very much!

Huffing and puffing, Link gradually sat up, slowly observing his surroundings. "Is... it over?" he asked himself a loud though quietly. He shakily stood up on his two feet, scanning the area. He couldn't smell anything other than the residue of his bomb and couldn't hear anything beside the ringing of the explosion and the faint sounds of the chilly wind in the air. After a minute of area evaluation, Link deemed it moderately safe. He needed to retrieve his shield and be on the lookout for that horse-riding undead soldier while he healed his injuries. Link backtracked to where he had dropped his shield while still applying pressure to his right wrist's injury. He was just a foot away from his grounded shield when a whizzing sound came into his field of hearing!

The Hylian youth gasped as he ducked once more, seeing the speeding lance sailing right above him with white streaks and all! It slammed into the ground ways from where he once stood, embedded into the dirt at a perpendicular angle. Link stared at it in aghast and turned to the direction from whence it was launched from. With leering red, glowing eyes, came the rider and its dark horse! Damn, this wasn't good! Link was still recovering and he hadn't used a potion to heal up yet! Determined to not give up, the blond-haired boy unsheathed his Master Sword and glared at the rider. However, it wasn't alone—it apparently brought back some more pals. Behind it and surrounding the area were more of them, trapping the boy in a semi-circle.

There were more armed with different kinds of sword types, axes, some with old, worn robes that looked like mages and now bowmen were added to the batch. How was he going to get out of this one alive? With his health staggering as it was, he couldn't afford to fire off any sword beams with his blade. He couldn't use his bow effectively with his wrist injury and the bombs were all he had left to hopefully give him some opening. This wasn't looking good. _I need help,_ Link admitted but braced himself. He was expecting several swordsmen to charge and impale him. He was not expecting launches of different elemental magicks of different degrees though! First, an electrical thunderbolt struck from above, to which Link marginally avoided. The crackling sparks jolted him and made the hair on his back stand up. Next, was a torrent of fire that shot out like a swirling beam! Link had to dive to the ground to avoid it. The last was tornado of wind that was cast underneath him! The Hylian couldn't help but gasp—there was no way to avoid it! With a yell, Link was launched up into the air!

Instinctively, he wrenched out the Tornado Rod and tried to start it—until he realized why it wasn't working. _I forgot. Gods!_ Link yelled to himself, preparing for a very rough landing. If to make things worse, the undead creatures bowmen were taking aim and shooting at him! What was this, free shooting range?! Gritting again, Link did his best to bat away any arrows coming his way though couldn't deflect all. Three or four nicked him and one snagged itself into his lower left abdomen. Then, another torrent of magic was being fired at him! A combination of the fire and wind types! Gods above! They were intending to make barbecue Cucco out of him!

 _There's no way I can deflect that with just the sword. I need my shield!_ The Hylian youth cringed in thought as he imagined his shameful demise. The ground was getting closer. _But I have to try. I'm a hero—I can't let this deter me! Triforce, the gods, lend me your strength and courage!_ Link mentally prayed as he gripped the Master Sword's hilt with both hands and in front of him like a knife slicer. The combined magicks came flying at him like a menacing reverse whirlpool! However, the blade's magic responded to its wielder's distress and began to glow like a golden beacon, giving a barrier reminiscient to Link's arrival in these lands. The flames empowered by the wind's magic effect were brushed aside like nothing as the barrier protected Link's head, face and his arms, forcing the magic to be cut through in a large 'V' shape. However, his knees weren't as lucky; the heat was intense as it licked any exposed skin and burning particles of his current clothing. He was like a meteor or a shooting star falling to earth—he couldn't be stopped! Soon, an adrenaline pushed itself into focus, and he couldn't feel anything but the rush of panic in his veins. Would he drop and kerr-splat like several of his enemies did in the past? Would he make it out alive?

The spiraling vortex of magic seemed to go on forever when, out of nowhere, it suddenly stopped... What happened? Where did it go? It left Link bewildered!

Before he could blink, he wasn't falling to his death. Instead, he was collasped over something like leather and it smelled awfully like a horse. Taking several moments to register that he was _flying_ in the air, he blinked and looked up to see if he was in the sacred realm of the heavens. No, he didn't die—a woman with pale, brown hair, same shade colored eyes and wearing pink and maroon armor. She was concentrating on steering her flying steed (which Link just found out and took a sharp, intake of breath) in the snowy, chilly skies. But, she was no doubt aware he was there.

His gasp, however, alerted her to his presence and she took the moment to glance down at him an smile. "Are you all right?" She asked with such sincerity Link could only nod dumbly. The woman's smile seemed to grow as she returned her focus back on steering. "I'm glad I arrived on time. Otherwise you'd have met the unforgiving ground! Don't worry; I'll take you to one of our finest healers in no time. Just hang tight, all right?" Link gave a grunt of a response, allowing himself to be carried off by this woman and her flying steed. He often wondered if this was what real Pegasus seemed like—what his current boots were named after.

-o-

Robin sighed heavily in relief when she saw Sumia sweep in from under Link and catch him. It was a miracle they arrived on time where the Risen were spotted by one of their scouters. When they first arrived on scene, they had all seen Link being volleyed upwards in the air via an Arcwind spell. To their horror, the Risen were launching arrows at him from his falling point in the sky. This ruthless display of Risen behavoir wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but it seemed more deadly than when they faced off against the fell creatures. If that wasn't enough, they launched Arcwind and Arcfire spells in conjunction into the air to singe the kid! That was enough to get anyone going for their weapons and rallying into battle with the undead soldiers.

Just as Robin shouted orders for the Pegasus Knights to fly in and save the lad, he seemingly deflected the magic with something—no one could see what it was but they could definitely see him emblazed in a golden shell of sorts. More magic? Many assumed as such. In the back of the tactician's mind, more and more puzzles about this weird kid was stirring up and she pushed them down in favor of yelling orders and launching into battle herself.

The kid was caught by Sumia not long ago and now being taken to their resident healers, Libra, Lissa and Maribelle. Good, good. Everything was falling into place. There were about twenty to thirty Risen everywhere around. While not as strong, they were nusiances regardless and had to be taken out swiftly before they paired up and become lethal. The Shepherds were partnered up with their significant others as planned on the spur of the moment earlier, shouts and battle cries alike were heard throughout the makeshift warzone. Over the multitude of noises, Robin overheard, "To hell with you!" and "It's Vaike time!" which were very familiar phrases of some of her friends. The teenage strategist blocked an oncoming axe attack from a Barbarian class Risen and fired off an Elthunder spell into its face, forcing it to retreat and attempt again. It didn't take one step forward as three arrows struck it from its left with excellent precision.

Robin spared a glance and saw Virion wave "esthetically" in her direction. She couldn't help but roll her eyes and move on—that man, honestly! Robin wasn't angry, more like she wanted him to focus. Their ambush of their ambush appeared to be working well. Everyone was in tandem with another. After all, this wasn't their first time encountering these hellions. _But, this could be his first time._ Robin thought. They'd have to inform the lad when this battle was over with. Until then...

The blonde-haired strategist narrowed her eyes as she dodged another assault on her life by a Risen-riding-wyvern, its axe missing her by a foot. She swapped to her Elwind tome and speed-cast the spell yelling out, "Checkmate!"

-o-

Lissa and Libra were waiting for Sumia to arrive and give them their newest patient. However, they couldn't escape the terror that were the Risen coming up on them. Lissa, not afraid to fight back, remained with her best friend and fellow Ylissean healers, armed with a Steel Axe. She may not be as strong as her brother, but she was proving herself capable of handling herself on the frontlines. Maribelle launched spell after spell while Libra and Lissa mopped up afterwards with their Steel Axes equipped. The long-haired male healer slashed his axe critically, felling a Myrmidon class Risen instantaneously. Lissa ducked under a Fighter class Risen while her friend, the Duke of Themis, fired an Elfire spell.

Their combined teamwork put many of the Risen to shame and it wasn't long until their battlefield was clear of Risen. At least for now. "I hope Sumia comes back soon!" Lissa said once she caught her breath. She didn't dare relax—doing so would be dangerous, especially when there were Risen around.

"Fear not, dear. She'll be here promptly," Maribelle reassured her best friend with ease. However, she did worried a little herself. She knew it when she saw him—it was that Link boy again. How did he ever catch up with them so quickly? Did he need something of them? Or, was he trying to find them at all? Whatever the case was, he was in dire need of assistance. A sound of a whinny caught all three blondes attention and they snapped their heads upwards.

Coming down was Sumia's Pegasus, with the aforementioned rider on the back. Lying on his stomach across the saddle in front of Sumia was the boy, Link. He didn't look so good. They were expecting him to be out cold by now but to their slight surprise (and joy) he was conscious.

"Hurry, get him over here!" Maribelle instructed quickly. Libra was the first to help Sumia get Link from the awkward position he landed on the saddle in. Knowing he was in friendly hands, he grasped for much needed air into his lungs—the breath he forgot he was holding in this whole time since the Pegasus and its rider caught him in midair—and exhaled when possible. They stung worse than a bee's sting. He didn't know when he dropped the Tornado Rod. Before he knew it, Link found himself in Libra's care quickly while Lissa and Maribelle were showering their glowing, healing staves over him in half a second's passing. Sumia was behind them though she picked up the rod he had dropped in the awkward haste.

"Oh, y-you—" Link choked out, trying to get the bluriness out of his eyes when he spotted the familiar face of Maribelle.

"It's going to be all right now. We're going to help you, understand?" She replied and cut him off. The less the patient spoke the better they would recover. The boy nodded and she knew he was only in an adrenaline rush to stay awake at this point. He needed to relax or else he'd start panicking. After all, he had that look of a refined warrior—one that fought alone and kept to himself. A dangerous combination for young men like him. "Relax yourself," the curly-blonde assured him again. "Take slow, deep breaths."

Link did as he was told because now that his blood wasn't in such a rush anymore, he could finally feel the pain of the burns he suffered and the other injuries he accumulated. Boy, what he wouldn't give for a fairy right about now. The next scene that hit him was a tent of sorts, lying on a cot, with only a man with long hair hovering over him. Link could see the man's baffled looks but it didn't stop him from disrobing a little of Link's bloodied clothes and begin administering his healing session. It looked like Maribelle and that other girl weren't around. "Do not fret, I am a friend," the blond-haired healer assured him. The Hylian youth sighed, whether in relief or something other. But, _who_ was this guy?

As if sensing his question, the healer spoke up. "I am Libra, one of the Ylissean clergy. You're called Link, correct? Maribelle asked of me to remain at your side to finish the healing session. You're progressing rather quickly for normal standards however, but well enough." To Link's wondering gaze, the man elaborated, "Us humans take much longer to heal injuries, much slower than the Taguel or the Manakete. However, your long ears lead me to believe you are of such a kind?" His tone didn't have loathing or anything in it—just a little more curiosity in it, but it was sure a weird question!

The Anna from Woodham had informed him of the different races of Ylisse; the shape-shifters called the Taguel, a rabbit-like species, and the Manakete, a race of dragons that live for long durations of time and age. They also aged much slower than humans or Taguel, with the latter aging just a bit slower than the human race do. Unfortunately so, the Taguel race were extinct because of humans and the Manakete were scorned because of issues of the past regarding them. However, there were few, if any, people that didn't damn the Manakete race completely. Those of the Halidom of Ylisse believed in the Manakete as their great ancestor the Hero-King Marth was said to walk alongside a few of them in his time.

However, Manakete were seen few and far between. It was almost as if they vanished off the face of the planet.

But, to mistake him as one? Wasn't that a little...weird?

"I apologize... if I've asked something personal of you and out of line. It was rude of me."

Link snapped out of his thoughts and adjusted his blue eyes on the apologizing man. "It's... okay. I don't understand why you would mistake me for a Manakete. But don't worry...?" He added the last bit with uncertainty. He was unsure whether or not the confusion of racial identity was commonplace or coincidence. "I-I mean, I don't..."

"It is quite all right, young man. This may seem strange, but you do have long ears much like the Manakete. It appeared to me that you may be of descendant of them. Have no fear—it was merely my curiosity." Libra informed him and smiled warmly. "However, you are making a remarkable recovery. So that's quite the news you'd rather hear than my curious rambling, no?" Link could only nod to that. He was glad he was healing faster. That way, he could be on his way—wait. This guy was with the Shepherds, right? He had seen Maribelle and she was with them he recalled. Thinking it was best to ask now than later, Link decided to implore.

"Um, if it's not too much to ask for, but are you with the Shepherds Libra sir?"

"I am. You are with our company while the others are finishing off the Risen ambush."

The youth blinked as he tried to rack his brain for something to say. "Huh? 'Risen'? What are—" He was about to ask when the images of the gruesome, red-eyed undead soldiers flashed instantly in his mind's eye. Link glared at nothing when he finished the answer himself. " _Those_ things out there are called 'Risen'? Those... fiends?" It was an innocent question, and deep down, he knew he was right, but to hear a vocal clarification would solidfy such a claim. After all, he could be wrong!

"Yes, you are correct. Those fiends you and our fellow comrades are combating are called 'Risen'. They are creatures of the dark, formed by something, possibly a sinister malignant is at play here or something more," Libra explained calmly, "They appear at anywhere and anytime... We have yet to find the cause of such. Two years ago, they had all but vanished after the Ylissean-Plegia war. Seeing them again will more or less spout uproars in nearby villages. We must be on guard at all times. They can and will outnumber a single travel. It is very dangerous to travel alone."

"...I see... I wish I had... known that..." Link said. He knew he was still gripping the hilt of his blade tightly and it resonated with his feelings. So, fell creatures were in these lands as well? Was there any land out there safe from the evil that were monsters out to destroy lives and kill on sight? Were there any lands truly peaceful from such darkness? Nonetheless, these hellions were still bent on destruction, and things that destroy naturally have a master to follow. Who that was, Link had not a clue. Fell creatures of the dark. These Risen.

Perhaps there wasn't much a difference between this land and his after all.

* * *

 **Okay! So Link's in the company of the Shepherds once again! Link's seeing the similarities of his land and this one. Will Link stay? Will he join the Shepherds? Find out in the next chapter! Anyway, hope you enjoyed that! I had a little vacation from home so I'm back!**

 **-Ijoa**


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